A compromise measure introduced by the Clinton administration in 1993, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" allows gays and lesbians to serve in the armed forces as long as they abstain from homosexual activity and do not disclose their sexual orientation.

Before it was enacted in 1994, there had been a blanket ban on all homosexuals in the military.

For years, the policy has drawn the ire of both conservatives and liberals.

Even supporters have acknowledged its shortcomings.

"It's like what [Winston] Churchill said about democracy: 'It's the worst system possible, except for all the other ones,'" said Charles Moskos, a military sociologist at Northwestern University who helped draft the policy and coined the phrase "Don't ask, don't tell."

Since then, the federal government estimates that more than 10,000 soldiers, sailors and Marines have been discharged because of their sexual orientation.

The Pentagon reports there were 726 service members discharged in 2005, up 11 percent from the year before.

In 2005, the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, put the cost of enforcing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" from 1994 to 2003 at $190.5 million.

The GAO reported that the federal government had spent $95.4 million to recruit and $95.1 million to train replacements.

A subsequent University of California-Santa Barbara report -- drafted by former Defense Secretary William Perry, and 11 professors and experts -- nearly doubled that estimate to $364 million after taking into account lost value from the departures from the military.

Time for Change?

The Bush administration has not wavered in its support for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

With the war in Iraq hampering recruitment efforts, critics of the policy see a ripe opportunity for change.

"It's going to be overturned because people are needed, and it's not going to matter who they're sleeping with," said Elizabeth Recupero, a doctor discharged under the policy last year.

"We're in a situation of high alert and war."

A Pew Research poll conducted earlier this year indicates six in 10 Americans now support allowing gays to serve openly in the military, compared to 44 percent in 1993.

Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., has proposed legislation that would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," though it's unclear whether there's enough support on Capitol Hill to approve such a measure.

Some observers say the military quite simply is not ready for a shift in policy.

"There are few situations in life where you're forced to live in intimate circumstances not of your choosing," Moskos said.

"It just won't work. You will find people who feel their privacy rights are being violated. The gay advocates say it will cause enlistment to go up, but I think you'd find it dropping rather than rising."

As for Justin Hager, his failed enlistment has only strengthened his desire to serve his country.

Hager, a political science and history major, plans to seek a career in politics after graduation and hopes one day to be a U.S. senator.

"I want to be a great American," Hager said. "I want to be able to repay the debt to those who fought before us."